


As She's Walking Away

by dlodle0



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:35:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29122029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dlodle0/pseuds/dlodle0
Summary: Now I'm falling in love as she's walking awayAnd my heart won't tell my mind to tell my mouth what it should say
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Comments: 11
Kudos: 85





	As She's Walking Away

Gibbs watched as Ellie carried a box out of Jack’s office. They caught each other's eyes as she passed by and she gave him a sad smile. She didn’t speak until she was at the other end of the hall. “You should go in. I think she’s waiting for you.”

Normally he would have fixed the young blonde with a withering look but today wasn’t any day. It was the end of Jack’s last day, in the morning she would catch a flight out of DC and none of them were sure when they would see her again. Ellie disappeared around the corner and he stood tall before pushing the cracked door open. 

“I was wondering if you’d ever show up.” Jack finished taping the box she was packing closed before she came around to the front of her desk. “Ellie wasn’t sure you’d show. Said you didn’t like goodbyes.”

He didn’t speak a word, taking in the mostly empty room. All but one of the decorations had been taken down and packed away. The painting he had bought her stared back at him from behind the desk. The elephant in the room. He wondered momentarily if she was planning on leaving it behind and his heart sunk. 

_ Say something!  _ His mind screamed at him. But what was he going to say?  _ Don’t go. Stay.  _

Instead of speaking he went around her desk to pull open the bottom drawer. As he knew it would be a bottle of bourbon was tucked in the back. He pulled it out and held it out to Jack. 

"I don't have any glasses." She protested and he raised an eyebrow.

"Never stopped us before, Jack."

That broke the tension in the room and she popped the bottle open before settling onto her couch. She used the bottle to gesture at the seat across from her and he took her by surprise when he sat next to her instead. She took the first swing before passing it to him. 

"Weird seeing it like this." He commented as he looked around the office. He wasn't sure why he said it and he knew Jack was going to push. But how was he supposed to tell her that all of the colors in the room seemed muted. She was sitting next to him but already most of the life had drained from the room. 

"Yeah. It is. Leon said they'll paint it back next week before Renee transfers over." 

“Ya know when she’s coming?”

“That eager to replace me, Agent Gibbs?” She teased but Gibbs didn’t smile. Jack sighed, gently rubbing his thigh. “Walk me out?” She asked quietly and he nodded. They both stood and Jack tucked the whiskey bottle into the box on her desk. 

“Let me carry that.” Gibbs stepped forward to take it from her but Jack blocked him, pointing instead to the painting on the wall.

“I got this. Can you get that for me instead?”

This had to be some sort of cruel punishment, he thought as he eased it off the wall. To not only have to carry his gift but to realize he had made a huge mistake at the last possible moment. He followed Jack down the wall to the elevator, He was determined to commit their last moments to memory. Foolish pride was going to stop him from telling her how he felt and he knew as she walked away that he had fallen in love with her. 

When they got to her car Jack opened the back and fit the box into the last remaining spot. He uncharacteristically fidgeted with the painting and she gave him a soft smile.

"You're really going." The words slipped from him before he could stop them and Jack paused, her hand reaching to close her trunk.

"Unless you can give me a reason not to." She whispered back.

He put down the painting he was carrying before slowly leaning forward until their lips were centimeters apart. Jack knew what he was doing, he was giving her the chance to pull back and call it all off, to stop what they had started. 

Jack felt her entire body relax and come alive simultaneously as she pressed her lips against his. She vaguely heard her trunk close before his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.

When Jack ran out of air, she pulled back. Gibbs was smiling from ear to ear in a way she had never seen. "How's that for a reason?" 

"I always said I would retire on a beach." She teased, but the softness of her voice let him know he had already won. 

He leaned over to kiss her again, "Build ya a boat to make up for it." He promised and Jack smiled against his lips. 

"Close enough."


End file.
